Note: This feature is part of a series that looks at the impact of state budget cuts on social services in Illinois. Today’s edition features: CeaseFire Illinois.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2016, which starts July 1, calls for cuts in a wide range of programs and services from early-childhood education and public transportation to those that help people who are homeless or living with mental illness or physical disabilities.
Some organizations and agencies have received letters from the state immediately suspending their fiscal-year 2015 funding. One of those programs is the anti-violence initiative CeaseFire Illinois, which says it is losing about 85-90 percent of its funding. CeaseFire is based at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
For a glimpse into the budget cuts and what they mean in the real world of social service agencies, read CeaseFire’s response to the governor.
Below is the letter CeaseFire received from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority earlier this month:
